"As things stand right now, the Patriots are at No. 3, and they would face either the Bengals or Steelers in the wild card round, and then, theBroncosthe following week in Denver in a divisional playoff game. If they dropped to No. 4 -- mostly likely, into a tiebreaker they would lose with the Ravens -- they would face the Colts in the first round at Gillette, and then, on to a meeting with the Texans. On paper, those are far more favorable matchups than the idea of traveling to Denver and facing theBroncos, particularly when you consider the fact that the Patriots had no issue beating Houston and Indy.

While there’s a school of thought that Denver’s built its No. 2 seed while feasting on the AFC West -- every team should be so lucky as to play the Chiefs, Raiders and Chargers twice a year -- the Broncos’ win over the Ravens on Sunday should be taken as a small measure that Denver, now nine games into a winning streak, is a formidable team with whom to be reckoned.

I’m not completely sold on the Broncos, as they have only beaten three teams that have a record currently better than .500. But considering that out of the Broncos, Texans and Colts, it was Denver that gave the Patriots the best game of the three (by a long shot), it just makes sense to try and avoid them.Of course, if you set this plan in motion, you’re gambling on the fact that the rest of the playoff picture is going to play out as you hope -- that is to say, the Texans will stick at No. 1 and the Colts will stay at No. 5 spot. That seems to be fairly certain, as they both have winnable games this week -- Indy is at Kansas City, which is 2-12. Things are a little dicier for the Texans, who are home against Adrian Peterson and the Vikings, who are 8-6.

The only real danger facing the Patriots could be in the fact that the Ravens won’t allow them to take a step back. After starting 9-2 and clinching the AFC North, Baltimore has lost three straight and is one of the most injury-ravaged teams in the league. At 9-5, they currently trail the Patriots by a game, but hold the tiebreaker because of their Sunday night win over New England in September. (Given the surreal nature of that game, wouldn’t it be interesting if that loss allows the Patriots to slip back into the No. 4 spot?)

Considering where they are right now and who they have to play over the final two games of the regular season -- the Giants and Bengals (both 8-6) -- there’s the very real possibility the Ravens end up at 9-7. That would do no good for the 10-4 Patriots if they’re interested in throwing on the brakes and trying to land that No. 4 spot. But if the Ravens win out and the Patriots split, the No. 4 seed belongs to Baltimore.

You don’t want to necessarily try it this week -- as crazy as this NFL season has been, there’s always the possibility that the Broncos lose, which would open the door for the Patriots to reclaim the No. 2 seed. But if the final week of the regular season sees New England with a chance to slip backward from No. 3 to No. 4, the Patriots should jump on it.

History supports the idea that the No. 4 seed can offer a better path to the Super Bowl than a No. 3 seed. Since the NFL expanded to a 12-team playoff format in 1990, the No. 3 seed has advanced to the big game just two times, while the No. 4 seed has reached the title game on six occasions, winning three times. (A seed-by-seed breakdown of Super Bowl entrants can be found here.)

The bottom line? If there’s no bye week in New England’s playoff future now that the top two seeds are pretty much out of sight, carve one out. Give Rob Gronkowski, Logan Mankins, Chandler Jones and the rest of the banged-up starters a week to get their bodies right. Think long-term, and think about the Dolphins. After all, it’s the season of giving, and who doesn’t like getting a nice present this time of year?"

Play to win the games and let the chips fall as they may. If we can't beat the Denver Broncos then we don't deserve to be Super Bowls champs, simple as that. I know that Mile High is a tough place to play and that Denver has been hot, but let's get real. We aren't talking about playing the '85 Bears here. We already beat them by 10 (could have been more) without some of our key players. Also, sometimes that sacred first round bye can backfire on teams that have been playing well, like Denver. It sounds crazy, but a lot of the time it is better for teams to just keep the weekly routine going. How often do we see teams come out flat following a bye week? Don't get me wrong, if I had the choice I would take the #1 seed complete with a bye and home field throughout, but that isn't the only route to the Superbowl. Usually the hottest and heathiest team has the best chance in the playoffs and if we can get Gronk, Spikes, Dennard, etc back on the field and ready to go by the time the playoffs roll around, I really like our chances.

What makes everyone so confident the Raven's are going to win the division. I don't think they will win again this year. Therefore give me the Ravens, Broncos and Texans. Each game will be a little tougher. The easiest team they beat in their 3 super bowl wins was the Panthers. Everyone of those other playoff wins were against very good teams.

Play to win the games and let the chips fall as they may. If we can't beat the Denver Broncos then we don't deserve to be Super Bowls champs, simple as that. I know that Mile High is a tough place to play and that Denver has been hot, but let's get real. We aren't talking about playing the '85 Bears here. We already beat them by 10 (could have been more) without some of our key players. Also, sometimes that sacred first round bye can backfire on teams that have been playing well, like Denver. It sounds crazy, but a lot of the time it is better for teams to just keep the weekly routine going. How often do we see teams come out flat following a bye week? Don't get me wrong, if I had the choice I would take the #1 seed complete with a bye and home field throughout, but that isn't the only route to the Superbowl. Usually the hottest and heathiest team has the best chance in the playoffs and if we can get Gronk, Spikes, Dennard, etc back on the field and ready to go by the time the playoffs roll around, I really like our chances.

Agree with this post 100%. We as Pats fans should not be hoping for anything but 100% effort from this team. I don't want the Pats to be ducking anybody. Bad enough it happens in boxing (Floyd Mayweather), so I can say that I'm not alone in not wanting that practice in the NFL. Seriously, we are starting to sound like the fans we make fun of. I remember Steeler fans and Colts fans saying the same thing about the Patriots. Patriots need to win out and build up momentum. Who cares who they face....Texans, Broncos, Steelers....two of those teams they beat already and aside from last year, the other, the Patriots usually handle the Steelers. Go Pats!!! Quit all this talk of ducking. Since when do Pats fan fear other teams?

because according to price and purportedly pats players unofficially he did it before:

"The thought of New England dropping a game down the stretch to improve its postseason situation isn’t new. At the end of the 2005 season, New England did everything possible to give away the regular-season finale to the Dolphins to help create a more favorable playoff matchup."

There is still a chance the Pats can get a bye week. Cleveland aren't completely hopeless in Denver and Minnesota are some hope against Houston. I think they will play to win both games and go into the playoffs with momentum. Losing can become a habit.

Pats will play out to win-it's not in their DNA to lay down--and you can't ask players to lose- ridiculous! What if Broncos lose Manning in first QTR and lose to Browns? Anything can Happen. Broncos have beat one team with a winning record-The Colts-in their win run-- come on-- the last team anyone wants to play is the Pats come playoffs. And Brady playing in a dome against Texans after beating the Broncos--I still see a SB on the Horizon against, one of 4 teams--Packers,Falcons,49rs,(my choice), or the GMen--theres really only 7 teams that have a chance to be in the Big Dance--add Pats,Broncos and Texans to the NFC list---now enough talk of losing games for seeding purposes--aint gonna happen- not with BB and Brady on this team!

You gotta play to win the games at this point, as things are not fixed yet. Plus even in the playoffs as one person has noted there could be an upset to to a higher seed. Tanking a game by witholding starters only makes sense when everything is locked down or you know for certain there is a bad matchup you can 100 percent avoid if you lose. Too many variables right now. Topic can be revisited after this weeks' games...

All I want is to see the Pats win, win ,win. If they do, does it matter who they play as long as they are winning? We can wring our hands all we want about possible opponents, in the end, the Pats need to defeat whoever they are facing, period! I recall a lot of hand wringing last year and where did they wind up? As fans, we certainly worry a heck of a lot more than the team who play it one game at a time. Here, we got folks talking 4 - 5 games down the road!! Sheesh, BB would bi*ch slap ya all!

The Browns have an outside chance to beat the Broncos, so play to win vs. JAX and next week play to win vs Miami with the 2nd team if the Broncos won and the first team if the Broncos lost vs. the browns.

We play to win the game" the pats are not gonna take the foot of the gas. plus remember people, the team that beat the packers last year, ending their perfect season?? u got it the CHIEFS so lets hope they can give us an early new year's treat lol